1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image recording system and, more particularly, to a system for recording images including a facial photograph and ID information which is used to prepare ID cards such as drivers' certificates, identification cards, gate-entry permits and bankbooks, or printed matter such as brochures.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recording (printing) of an image having a facial photograph and ID information is utilized for preparing drivers' certificates, identification cards, gate-entry permits, bankbooks or other certificates. In general, a facial photograph covered with a transparent seal is attached to such a certificate and moreover the name, the date of birth and the sex of its owner, the issue data, the issue number, etc., are printed thereon as ID information.
Heretofore, the preparation of such a certificate, for example, a driver's certificate, has been performed by the following procedure. First, an applicant fills out a prescribed application form and attaches a photograph of his or her face to the form for submission to the window of an administrative office. At the office which accepted the application form, the name, the date of birth and the sex of the applicant, the issue data, an issue number, etc., are typed on certificate paper. Subsequently an applicant's facial photograph which was prepared separately is attached to the certificate paper. Finally the attached photograph is coated with a transparent seal. These certificate preparing steps are each performed independently, thus decreasing the efficiency of the certificate preparing work. Even at an office in progress of computerization, the fact is that an applicant has to wait for several hours from the time when an application form is accepted before a certificate is actually issued. In addition, the submission of plural photographs is often required, one for a certificate and the other for an application form.
With a conventional improved system for issuing and updating drivers' certificates, on the other hand, a photography column (in which name, date of birth, sex, issue date and issue number are entered in a prescribed layout) on an application form and an applicant's photograph is optically synthesized on silver halide photographic film. Next, the film is developed and then printed. A resultant photograph is cut in a suitable size and then subjected to laminating, whereby a driver's certificate is completed.
In Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 1-20609, there is disclosed an ID card preparing system in which the face of an applicant is taken by a television camera, a resulting image signal is electronically combined with ID information and then subjected to layout processing, and the result of the processing is printed.
With the conventional systems, the driver's certificate issuing work includes photographing of an applicant's face. For this reason, the time required to issue a driver's certificate cannot sufficiently be shortened because of photographing time, waiting time, etc. In addition, a photographing space and a waiting space are needed. In principle, the photographing of a face is often permitted only once in terms of efficiency and cost. As a result, a facial photograph with an expression that an applicant does not like may be recorded on a driver's certificate. In such a case, the applicant will feel pain during the valid period of the certificate which is typically several years.